Author: Andria Lisle

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Get Hip to the Hop: Where to Hear Live Rap in Memphis

CREDIT: Travis Whiteside

Travis Whiteside

Moneybagg Yo at Minglewood Hall

For some world-class hip hop, keep your eyes on the festivals. This city boasts several, often featuring the superstars of rap as headliners. This year’s Beale Street Music Festival presented, among others, Tyler, the Creator, Ludacris, Al Kapone, renowned Three 6 Mafia producer/artist Juicy J, and Young Dolph, currently riding high in the charts. That’s a high ratio of local rappers.

This October’s Mempho Music Festival will bring Juicy J once again, as well as other Memphians from way back, like Project Pat and Frayser Boy (with the Hi Rhythm Section, no less). Brooklyn’s legendary Nas will headline the October 7th lineup, supporting his new album, Nasir. 

Juicy J

Memphis is also host to a good many single-artist hip hop concerts: grand affairs in roomier venues like Minglewood Hall, the New Daisy Theatre, or the Hi-Tone (where Cities Aviv plays June 29). And then there’s the FedEx Forum, in a class of its own. On June 28, the latter will feature one the country’s biggest hip hop extravaganzas, Yo Gotti & Friends Birthday Bash 6, which always includes top-tier guest artists in addition to Gotti. It must be satisfying for Gotti to survey the landscape of his youth and reflect on his triumphs from the Forum’s stage.

Yo Gotti

Beyond concert and festival appearances by the mega-stars, hip hop shows are experiencing a renaissance in Memphis—for the first time since the 1990s heyday of clubs like the Complex, Fantasia and Precious Cargo, which closed its doors in 2006.

These days, Brinson’s Downtown (340 Madison), Height Lounge (6135 Mt. Moriah Ext.) Midtown Crossing Grill (394 N. Watkins) and CANVAS of Memphis (1737 Madison Ave.) are all places you can catch live hip hop on a regular basis. For DJ battles, keep an eye on the calendar at Memphis Slim Collaboratory (1130 College Studio), where Kingpin Da’ Composer hosts Let’s Get LOUD, a semi-annual beat battle and producer showcase. When Slice of Soul Pizza Lounge (1299 Madison Ave.) opened for business in January, they celebrated with a performance by famed Bronx duo Camp Lo that felt like the days of Precious Cargo revisited. Slice of Soul is also the current home of The Word, Neosoulville’s monthly open mic night, which features MCs alongside jazz divas, soul singers, poets and comedians, all set to the backdrop of Chinese Connection Dub Embassy.

Get Hip to the Hop: Where to Hear Live Rap in Memphis (2)

The Word is probably the city’s longest-running hip hop salon, but it’s hardly the only one. Look out for Dope on Arrival, a quarterly rap showcase held at Height Lounge, Pressure World, a DJ showcase usually held at Growler’s, and the Kickback, an eclectic, funky DJ and live music mash-up hosted by Devin Steele at the Hi-Tone. And every third Sunday of the month, two of the city’s top creative, Brandon “Eso” Tolson and Siphne Sylve, curate a musical salon called Artistik Lounge at Minglewood Hall. Over the last six years, they’ve brought in a wealth of local and national talent, running the gamut from Three 6 Mafia’s Gangsta Blac to NPR darlings Tank and the Bangas. On July 15, Zephaniah headlines Artistik Lounge.

Get Hip to the Hop: Where to Hear Live Rap in Memphis (3)

My favorite spot to catch live hip hop is, hands down, House of Mtenzi Museum (1289 Madison Ave.). The low stage and DIY atmosphere reminds me of the hardcore scene that captivated me in high school. And when local MC Jason Da Hater is running the microphone, you can expect hijinks like four-bar mic battles where the losers are forced to do push-ups before they can regain their mic privileges.

Iron Mic Coalition

Social media is the best way to find out about underground hip hop shows. Be sure to join the Rhyme Writtaz & Rhyme Lovaz Discussion Forum on Facebook. Moderated by Roy Dickenz, aka Milk, one of the MCs in Iron Mic Coalition, the forum offers a plethora of information about the local scene. While you’re at it, download the UnApp, created by the team at Unapologetic, who are hosting their own don’t miss event, the Stuntarious Vol. III EP Release Show, at Railgarten on Saturday, June 30.

It’s a banner month for hip hop at Railgarten—this Saturday night, the venue is also hosting Memphis Massacre, a skateboarding, jookin’ and rap extravaganza put together by VHS storeowner Luke Sexton. The line-up includes instrumental garage rock band Impala, Billboard charting rap duo HippySoul, Unapologetic’s Weird Maestro, and headliner Tommy Wright III, a Memphis-born rap legend of the 1990s who has resurfaced as a skate culture hero.

Currently, it’s easier to catch Wright onstage at SXSW, or in New York or Los Angeles, than it is in his own hometown. Wright’s last local appearance was during Gonerfest 13:

Get Hip to the Hop: Where to Hear Live Rap in Memphis

Parse through his YouTube channel and you’ll see him performing at L.A.’s hipster sneaker store Undefeated, or at the Circle Bar in New Orleans, surrounded by young white kids who know every syllable of his 1994 underground hit “Meet Yo Maker.”

Sexton sees Memphis Massacre as an opportunity to take VHS beyond the brick-and-mortar storefront. “We’re promoting the culture of the Dirty South,” he says. “Tommy really brings out a raw essence that skateboarders love. What he raps about isn’t glamorous—it’s the raw and dirty side of things.” Admission for Memphis Massacre, which kicks off at approximately 6 p.m. with DJ Hush and a skateboarding demo, is $10.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Got Lemons? Refreshing Summer cocktails to Beat the Heat.

CREDIT: Maurizio Distefano | Dreamstime.com

It feels like summer has hit a little earlier — and a lot harder — this year. I’m trying to up my water intake and cut down on my wine drinking, because it seems like both whites and reds can be dehydrating. The human race might be able to survive on water alone, but not this Memphian — and that’s why I’m drinking lemonade.

Acid, it seems, can be a thirst quencher. One of the first signs of dehydration is a dry mouth — and the tartness of lemon sparks immediate salivation. Lemonade is also packed with Vitamin C and antioxidants, which makes it a better choice for a summer mixer than, say, a can of cola.

I occasionally make lemonade from scratch — but until recently, I was most likely to pick up a bottle of Simply Lemonade at the grocery store. Yes, it’s chock full of sugar, but with just four ingredients, and cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, I could do worse. Then I discovered a game-changer via the website TheKitchn — a “juicing hack” that utilizes a stand mixer to yield the most juice from fresh lemons. You simply quarter your lemons and then pulverize them at low-speed using the paddle attachment. Strain the juice into a measuring cup, and you’re ready to go.

Use eight to 10 lemons to yield one cup of lemon juice, then whisk in up to one cup of sugar until dissolved. (I like my lemonade tart, so I generally use 2/3 cup sugar). Add six cups of water, and chill.

Maurizio Distefano | Dreamstime.com

And now it’s time for the cocktails:

I’m a sucker for the Limoncello cocktail recipe I found on the Simply brand’s homepage. Mix one cup of lemonade, ¾ cup club soda, ½ cup Limoncello liqueur, and a shot of vodka. Muddle some mint in a glass, add ice, and pour over the cocktail ingredients.

I realize that I slightly disparaged white wine above, but paired with lemonade in a sangria, I can tolerate it on these 95 degree days. Pre-make this cocktail by the pitcher, and pair it with dinner on the grill. Start with a base of lemonade in a large pitcher, then add a bottle of Chardonnay, two-thirds cup of light rum, fresh berries, a sliced orange, and a sliced Granny Smith apple. Refrigerate the concoction for as long as you can stand it — I recommend an hour, minimum — and serve.

A gin shandy is simple to make — and it reminds me of a family vacation to London when I was a teenager. I discovered pre-canned shandy in vending machines around town and pretended I was getting a buzz while making the tourist rounds of Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. This shandy is better than canned and almost as simple as popping a tab. Just mix one cup of lemonade with three-fourths cup gin and a 12-ounce bottle of ginger beer. If you want something even simpler, skip the ginger beer and just enjoy a lemonade with gin. Or try vodka, served in a tall Collins glass over ice.

Another fun twist on an old favorite is a lemonade margarita. This one is best served on the rocks. Salt your rims per usual, then, in a cocktail shaker, combine 2 one-quarter cups lemonade with three-quarters cup tequila. Garnish your glasses with lemon rounds. Enjoy!

Or, step it up a notch with the Kentucky Lemonade Cocktail. Rim highball glasses with coarse sugar instead of salt. Muddle mint leaves in a shaker, then add lemonade and bourbon (I’ll let you decide how much). Shake and strain. Pour, leaving enough room to top off each glass with ginger ale and a lemon slice garnish.

I’ve found my new favorite recipe online. Called Cajun Lemonade, a riff on the illustrious Pimm’s Cup cocktail, it was concocted by Duffan McDonnell, a twice-nominated Mixologist of the Year at New Orleans’ Tales of the Cocktail and author of the cocktail history Drinking the Devil’s Acre. Combine two ounces of lemonade with one-and-a-half ounces of white rum or vodka, one ounce of Pimm’s No. 1, and two dashes of hot sauce (the recipe calls for Tabasco, but I substituted my favorite, Louisiana Hot Sauce). Shake with ice, then strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with a splash of 7Up and garnish with a lemon wheel. Spicy, tangy, savory, and herbaceous, this drink refreshes like no other.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Pour! The Links Between Alcohol and Golf

When it comes to golf, I’m on the sidelines — with a drink. For better or for worse, booze and golf go hand in hand, from drinking your way around the course to dozens of professional golfers falling prey to alcoholism. It’s even classic joke material: “A recent study found that the average golfer walks about 900 miles a year. Another study found that golfers drink, on average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year. This means that, on average, golfers get about 41 miles to the gallon!”

I had a cousin, Jack Finlay, who my grandmother’s sister, Margaret Maclin, met and married in India during WWII. He was a Scotsman, who, as family lore has it, was the son of a greenskeeper at St. Andrew’s Fairway. Jack Finlay came with Margaret to Shreveport, Louisiana, after the war ended, and wound his way up and down the Mississippi River Delta. He worked at dozens of golf courses and country clubs in towns like Belzoni, Bunkie, Monroe, Tallulah, and all points in between. He was also a big drinker who, for the most part, seemed unfazed by the dozen
or so beers he’d pound every day.

Drinks and golf links

His propensity for alcohol — and his talent for golf — surprised no one. After all, according to Scottish folklore, golf evolved as an 18-hole game because a bottle of Scotch contained 18 shots. When the bottle was drunk, the game was over.

Jack drank it all, and so there’s no revered family recipe to share here. He died when I was young, so I have no idea whether he’d prefer to throw back a Scottish Links, made with Glenmorangie Original whisky and sherry, or a Birdie, a blend of gin and St. Germain. Odds are, he’d like them both.

I lean toward the doctored-up Arnold Palmer, a variation on the virgin ice tea and lemonade concoction made famous by the late, great golfer that includes bourbon. Memphis golfer John Daly has his own cocktail, another Arnold Palmer variation that includes vodka. There’s also the Azalea, a cocktail salute to the Masters in Augusta, hallowed ground for every golfer. The sweet drink is a combination of one part each lime juice and pineapple juice and three parts gin, with enough grenadine added to turn your drink bright pink.

Last month, Golf Digest conducted an informal study of the effects drinking has on your golf game. Their conclusion: A few beers can serve as “swing oil,” but too many, and your senses are dulled, which affects coordination.

Too many for my cousin Jack meant that he would lose his job — a regular occurrence — and he and Margaret would have to pack their bags and head to another golf club on one or the other side of the Mississippi River.

I’m curious to see how Daly plays at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, which starts June 4th at TPC Southwind. I felt a little hungover myself as I watched the professional golfer recount how many times he suffered from the after-effects of over-drinking on the course in his epic ESPN 30 for 30 episode, titled “Hit It Hard,” which first aired in 2016. Who knows what shape he’ll be in this time around?

Then again, when I feel hungover, there’s no better cure than golf: I turn on the TV to whichever tournament is being broadcast, set the volume on low, and watch the tiny ball float over a sea of beautiful green grass. The hushed tones, the polite applause, the way the white ball eventually sinks into a cup just as the caddie removes the flag: Somehow, it all makes me feel like I’m ready for another drink.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Mint for Summer: Juleps Aren’t Just for Horse Racing

CREDIT: Alp Aksoy | Dreamstime.com

A few weeks ago, I spent a Saturday afternoon perched on a stool at the long wooden bar at Café 1912. Friends and I watched the parade of thoroughbred horses lining up to run the 2018 Kentucky Derby, sipping on mint juleps that ace bartender Tyler Morgan prepared for us. Morgan plucked mint from a fresh, aromatic bouquet perched on the bar in honor of the occasion. He also made certain to use Woodford Reserve, the small-batch Kentucky bourbon brand that, these days, sponsors the $2 million-purse horse race won this year by a chestnut colt named Justify.

When I threw back my drink, the rich, syrupy flavor instantly reminded me of the very first time I tasted a mint julep. It must’ve been 25 years ago — sometime in the early-to-mid 1990s. The year might be hazy, but I remember exactly where I was when I tried it. Well, maybe not exactly — I was in a shotgun house that belonged to friends-of-friends in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. We’d spent the evening at the Hi-Ho Lounge, then, when the bar closed, headed there instead of returning to my friends’ place in Gentilly. Someone had suggested juleps, and it seemed like a perfectly Southern thing to do. We had bourbon and sugar. Some of us wandered up the street to clip mint from a neighbor’s herb garden. Another of us mournfully noted the scant handful of ice cubes languishing in the freezer, and headed to the corner store for a fresh bag of ice. Our hostess stood at the stove, making simple syrup which had to chill before we could mix our drinks.

Alp Aksoy | Dreamstime.com

I was tired, and the wait seemed interminable. I think the sun was coming up by the time we were finally able to toast each other with cups filled with macerated mint, simple syrup, bourbon, and crushed ice. It was worth the wait — and the cocktail’s loose affiliation with the sport of kings brought me luck the next afternoon, when, at the fairgrounds, I won nearly $100 on a $2 trifecta.

Mint juleps have been around since the mid-18th century, when they were prescribed as a remedy for stomach ailments, although the drink’s origins harken all the way back to the Middle East, where thirsty Arabs would order a julab, or rose-water drink.

The lions of the Southern literary canon — William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, and Truman Capote — all wrote of their fondness for mint juleps. In Capote’s short story “The Bargain,” written in 1950, lost, and finally published in 2004, a character reminiscing about her ex-husband recalls how “we used to go down to the brook and pick mint and make mint juleps, huge ones in fruit jars.” Elsewhere, Capote wrote that “there is nothing better than a mint julep to bring relief from the pressures and pains of summertime.”

Mint juleps aren’t just for horse races. The drinks are as de rigueur as the Stella “shouting contest” at New Orleans’ annual Tennessee Williams Festival, held annually in late March. And at Rowan Oak, Faulkner’s Oxford, Mississippi, home, visitors can glimpse his battered metal julep cup, which is displayed in a glass case alongside an empty bottle of Four Roses bourbon. Yet the best — and most frequently cited — literature on the mint julep belongs to a Kentucky colonel-turned-newsman named Joshua Soule Smith, who penned an ode to the cocktail in 1890. In it, he described the bourbon and mint as “lovers” and declared reverently of the julep that “even the nectar of the Gods is tame beside it.”

With global climate change bringing sultry temperatures and stifling humidity levels to Memphis earlier every year, I’m tempted to escape into a mint julep fog by the end of May and not emerge again until mid-October. Served in a regular highball glass, the cocktail is coolly refreshing. Better yet, pour it into a traditional metal julep cup — I like the charm of used sterling silver cups found on ebay or at an antiques store, although you can easily purchase brand-new cups at Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, or Crate and Barrel. Stick in the freezer for a bit after mixing your drink, so that the cup frosts and the bourbon blend turns into an icy slush. Give it at least 20 minutes — make dinner or take the dog for a walk in the interim.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Drink Bourbon Like Harry Truman

There’s a big, boozy holiday just around the corner — and it’s not Cinco de Mayo. I’m talking about Truman Day, the May 8th celebration of our 33rd U.S. President, Harry S. Truman, who occupied the White House from 1945 to 1953. Truman, who was born in Lamar, Missouri, is well-known for helping found the United Nations, enacting the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe post-WWII, and spearheading a new era of civil rights reforms, including integration of the armed forces.

He was also an unapologetic drinker with a predilection for bourbon. White House gift records note that Truman’s cabinet presented him with matching bourbon and Scotch crystal decanters for Christmas 1946; five years later, his haul included a case of Old Grand-Dad.

According to his biographer, David McCullough, who won a Pulitzer for his 1992 tome, Truman, the president began most days at 5 a.m. with a shot of bourbon — Old Grand-Dad and Wild Turkey were his favorites. With his doctor’s approval, Truman would enjoy an egg, a slice of toast, a slice of bacon, a glass of skim milk, and a shot of Old Grand-Dad — the latter was purportedly drunk after his morning constitutional. It “got the engine running,” Truman said. You can try it yourself at home, or take a trip to Louisville’s Dish on Market restaurant, where the Presidential Breakfast will set you back $10.

Legend states that Truman’s cocktail of choice was an Old Fashioned — but, humorously, sans bitters, sugar, citrus, or a maraschino cherry.

The Old Fashioned has its roots in the very first so-called cocktail, which appeared in print in a Hudson, New York, newspaper called The Balance and Columbian Repository published, fittingly, the first week of May, 1806. That drink was made with spirits, bitters, water, and sugar.

In antebellum Louisville, the Old Fashioned was so deemed because its recipe harkened back to that original drink — and, at a private gentlemen’s club called the Pendennis Club, the bourbon Old Fashioned was born. It all makes sense — though Missouri claims Truman, his ancestors were old-stock Kentuckians.

To make an Old Fashioned the old-fashioned way, simply dissolve a teaspoon of sugar into a little bit of water in the bottom of a whiskey glass. Add two dashes of Angostura bitters, an ice cube, a lemon peel, and a jigger of whiskey. Stir, and sip. For an updated version — think mid-1960s Don Draper — garnish the drink with a cherry and an orange wheel. Or, go full Truman-style and just pour yourself a bourbon on the rocks.

If neither a straight whiskey shot nor an Old Fashioned floats your boat, consider saluting Truman with a Manhattan next Tuesday. It’s not too much of a stretch — the drink shares similarities with an Old Fashioned, and, after all, Truman oversaw the Manhattan Project after FDR’s death. Truman is (so far) the only president to have employed the nuclear option, when, in August 1945, Fat Man and Little Boy were detonated over Nagasaki and Hiroshima, respectively.

To make a Manhattan cocktail, combine ice, two parts whiskey, one part sweet vermouth, and two dashes of Angostura bitters in a shaker. Rub an orange peel around the rim of your glass, and fill it with the shaken and strained cocktail ingredients. Add a maraschino cherry, and drink.

One footnote: Most people don’t know that a few years into his two-term presidency, Truman had to close the nation’s distilleries for a 60-day period. He needed to send the grain to starving Europeans. The move garnered a front-page headline in The New York Times on October 26, 1947. “Plants with capacity for producing more than 95 percent of the country’s whisky and industrial alcohol are closing at midnight tonight,” the article read. “The saving in wheat, corn, and other grains is estimated at 10 million to 12 million bushels.”

Honor Truman’s decision, and don’t waste your drink.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Lillet Lore: A French Aperitif You Should Meet

A few weekends ago, I found myself bursting into song — belting out the makeshift lyrics, “I love a Lillet” in the best Ethel Merman impersonation I could muster.

I do love a Lillet (pronounced “lee LAY”). I had my first glass of the apéritif over a decade ago — and it was such a delicious departure from what I usually drink that the details are still fresh in my mind. It was Easter, and I’d arrived at a friend’s house for brunch. Her husband handed me a vintage wine glass filled with an intoxicating berry-hued liqueur that he’d topped with club soda. I was expecting to taste red wine, but what I got on my first sip was the taste of spring: something more citrus-y than wine and a bit more bitter and medicinal. That was Lillet Rouge.

A latecomer to the Maison Lillet family, Lillet Rouge first came on the market in 1962, at the behest of American importer Michael Dreyfus. The original apéritif, a white wine and quinine blend, came on the market some 90 years earlier, when Kina Lillet was invented by brothers Paul and Raymond Lillet. They built their empire on a concept first brought to France by Father Kermann, a late 18th-century physician who had worked in Brazil, where quinine was used to ease malaria symptoms. The Lillet brothers, who lived in the Bordeaux wine region of Podensac, entered into the “tonic wine” market a century later, founding their company in 1872, just two years after France’s Third Republic was established.

By the 20th century, Lillet was a popular high society drink. It was also a huge hit in Africa, where colonialists and travelers feared the dreaded malaria. The recipe was tinkered with in the 1980s, when scientists at Bordeaux University’s Institute of Oenology reduced the sugar content and rebalanced the formula for acidity and sweetness.

Today, Lillet comes in three varietals: Blanc, Rouge, and Rosé, all of which should be stored in the fridge. I haven’t experimented enough to tell you whether the quinine content will indeed keep the mosquitoes at bay, but I do know that when the dogwoods start blooming and the azaleas begin to bud, it’s time to bring out the Lillet.

While Europeans drink Lillet simply — over ice, garnished with a citrus peel — Americans tend to use the apéritif as a base for fancier cocktails. There’s the Vesper Martini, popularized by James Bond in Ian Fleming’s novel Casino Royale. The cocktail can be made with vodka and Lillet Blanc, or with a combination of vodka, gin, and Lillet.

Whichever route you choose, shake with bitters and cracked ice, then garnish your drink with a lemon peel. I prefer another Martini variation called the Liberté, which is a less pretentious blend of Lillet Blanc (three ounces), gin (one ounce), and a few dashes of orange bitters. I also recommend the French Connection, a blend of equal parts Lillet Blanc and Cognac, mixed with Angostura, orange bitters, and a few spoonfuls of honey syrup.

I’m not much of a red wine drinker overall, but I do love the Lillet Rouge Tonic, an easy and elegant cocktail. Just fill a wine glass halfway with the apéritif, then top with tonic water and an orange slice. I’m also a devotee of the Bootsy Collins, a cheeky variation on a Tom Collins that I found in the pages of Saveur magazine. Make it yourself by combining two ounces each of vodka and Lillet Rouge, and one ounce each of lemon juice and simple syrup. Mix in a shaker filled with ice, strain, and garnish with lemon wheels.

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Music Music Features

Wreckless Eric Returns to Memphis

It’s been 21 years since Goner Records co-owner Zac Ives happened across a Wreckless Eric cassette tape passed from Greg Cartwright to the late Jay Reatard. Another decade has passed since Wreckless Eric, aka Eric Goulden, made his Memphis debut at the original location of the Hi-Tone, thanks to Ives, who tracked him down while on vacation in England. Ever since, the punk singer/songwriter, best known for his 1977 Stiff Records hit “Whole Wide World,” has made Memphis a stop on his infrequent U.S. tours, performing at a variety of venues including Gonerfest, Burke’s Book Store, and the Galloway House. He’s played solo, with his wife Amy Rigby, and once, with reunited cult faves the Len Bright Combo on their only American tour date — coincidentally their second gig in a quarter-century. This Sunday, he returns to headline the second installment of the spring River Series at the Harbor Town Amphitheater, which begins at 3 p.m.

Eric Goulden

Goulden remembers that first Memphis gig, which occurred in July 2006, with lightning precision. “It was like playing to a lot of braying idiots,” he says. “You Memphians think you know about music because of Elvis Presley and Alex Chilton, but you know fuck all about music because you just talk about yourselves. I had to wonder, is there someone who is listening?”

Of the Burke’s Book Store gig in October 2012, Goulden says, “Things changed; it was the first time I felt people were listening.” The next fall, when Goulden returned to play Gonerfest, he decided that Memphis was “quite fun.”

“There must be a Memphis outside of Goner Records, but I don’t know it,” Goulden says, constantly referencing the Cooper-Young record shop, as he names the landmarks he knows in the city. Burke’s is “the bookstore around the corner from Goner,” and Galloway House, where Goulden and Rigby performed in spring 2016, is “that chapel down the road from Goner.”

Yet Goulden is a fan of more than just garage rock. “I grew up loving Stax Records, Otis Redding, and Booker T. & the MGs,” he says. “I’ve never been to Graceland, but I have been driven past Elvis’ Audubon house. Memphis is fascinating — of course it is, that’s a dumb thing to say. It’s another world. You can walk around and go into the motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot.”

He gulps, pauses, then utters a soft expletive. “When I come down there, history comes alive for me. It’s almost overwhelming. Even the Mississippi River is something I can’t quite take in — that it somehow comes from Minneapolis and ends up flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.”

Goulden’s Sunday performance will mark the fifth stop on a three-country tour promoting his inspired new album, Construction Time & Demolition, which was cut at his home studio in Catskill, New York, finished and mixed at the Bomb Shelter, Andrija Tokic’s Nashville studio, and released last week on Southern Domestic Records.

“I was gonna call it Forty Years, because it was supposed to come out exactly 40 years after my first album,” Goulden says, “but all these other people already did that. It’s been 40 years since the Damned, Stiff Little Fingers, and the Sex Pistols, and I thought, I don’t want to be involved in that nostalgia trip!”

Despite the title change, Construction Time & Demolition adroitly documents Goulden’s trajectory from his youth in East Sussex and his stint in art school to his career during and after the Stiff Records years. Moody, brilliant, catchy and frequently hilarious, it also tackles the apathy of the Trumpian world in true punk fashion.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

A Taste of Harlem

At the end of March, I found myself in Harlem for 15 glorious hours. Trying to explain the plot twists that led to my trip there would take as long as the journey itself — suffice it to say that I accompanied Unapologetic artists IMAKEMADBEATS, A Weirdo From Memphis, Cameron Bethany, PreauXX, and C Major to a performance at Ginny’s Supper Club, located in the basement of Marcus Samuelsson’s famed Harlem eatery Red Rooster.

Ashamedly, it was my first trip to the northern New York City borough, which birthed the Harlem Renaissance and is home to the Apollo Theater, Minton’s Playhouse, and Strivers’ Row.

Harlem is also, of course, legendary for the proliferation of speakeasies during Prohibition. A 1932 map of Harlem created by black illustrator E. Simms Campbell for a publication called Manhattan: A Weekly for Wakeful New Yorkers perfectly depicts the boozy, easy nature of the neighborhood’s nightlife, a must-see for wealthy whites of the era.

Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem

Today, cocktail culture is still king, despite the looming specter of Malcolm X, who warned African Americans against the dangers of drinking. The stretch of Lenox Avenue that intersects the east and west sides of Harlem might have been dubbed Malcom X Boulevard in 1987, but on my visit, I observed a street that’s home to dozens of upscale bars, including Gin Fizz, Corner Social, Barawine Harlem, and the Cove Lounge. Most establishments lean French, Southern, or Caribbean, cuisine-wise, with wine lists and cocktail menus that reflect each culture.

Soul food in Harlem is synonymous with alcoholic beverages. Take the legendary Sylvia’s Restaurant, founded by Sylvia Wood in 1962. Unlike Memphis’ most traditional soul food restaurants, at Sylvia’s, you can order up a cup of South Carolina Rum Punch to wash down your smothered pork chops or barbecued ribs. The drinks menu at Sylvia’s is as fun to read as it is to sample. Cocktails are rated by exclamation points that run from “Whoa” to “Packs a punch” and “Knocks your socks off.” On the genteel side: Waiting to Exhale, a blend of vodka, Amaretto, Grand Marnier, Alizé (a Cognac-based liqueur), and punch. Guaranteed to knock your socks off: Devil in a Blue Dress, a heady mixture of vodka, rum, tequila, gin, Blue Curaçao, and Sprite.

Red Rooster, which is located on Malcolm X Boulevard between Sylvia’s and Corner Social, is also known for its drinks. Marcus Samuelsson, an Ethiopia-born, Sweden-raised chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and TV personality, is a shots lover, a wine drinker, and a whiskey aficionado. He concocted a cocktail for the release of his 2012 memoir Yes, Chef that’s now on the menu at Red Rooster. The recipe, which is also included in the restaurant’s eponymous cookbook, is a bracing medley of vodka, mint, honey syrup, pineapple juice, lime juice, and homemade ginger beer. It’s so refreshing that I had to order two at Ginny’s.

I was too busy eating to sample much else other than a few glasses of wine, drinks-wise, but just reading Red Rooster’s cocktail menu is an intoxicating experience. There are three “punches” on the menu — two, the Rooster Royale and the Rooster Punch, are variations on white and red sangria, respectively — plus the delicious-sounding Earl of Harlem (bourbon, Earl Grey tea, and lemon), the Neighbor (gin, basil, mint, Crème d’Yvette, and Peychaud’s bitters), and the tart Obamatini (pepper-infused vodka, pineapple juice, lime juice, and grapefruit juice). And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I beseech you to pay Red Rooster a visit next time you’re in NYC.

Back on the ground in Memphis, I can’t get Harlem off my mind. Easy research has yielded me an amazing update on a traditional cocktail dubbed, well, the Harlem Cocktail. The drink is simple and tastes of spring. Simply shake two ounces of gin with pineapple juice, lemon juice, Luxardo’s maraschino liqueur, and ice, then strain into a chilled glass. Add a few dashes of Angostura bitters. If presentation matters, garnish your glass with a wedge of pineapple. Put on some music — anything from jazz to hip-hop will do. I recommend Nina Simone, Tito Puente, Sonny Rollins, or Immortal Technique.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Girly Drinking

I don’t know why I was so irked recently to learn the existence of Jane Walker, the special edition play on the Johnnie Walker Scotch logo, which arrived on store shelves this month.

Jane Walker, which the company describes as a “symbol to represent the fearless women taking steps on behalf of all,” was conceived in honor of Women’s History Month. I consider myself more of a humanist than a feminist, but I initially felt slightly insulted by the idea that women need special products particularly marketed to us.

The top-hatted, equestrian boot-wearing avatar did get me thinking about the myriad ways that alcohol is marketed to the fairer sex. For my generation, it’s probably the guilty pleasure sitcom, Sex and the City, that brought a renaissance of girly drinks to bar menus nationwide. While American women have been drinking in public since Prohibition was repealed in 1933, frou-frou cocktails reached their peak with Carrie Bradshaw and friends’ drink of choice, a pink-hued variation on the classic Cosmopolitan.

These days, women are also the dominant force in the wine market. I stumbled across an article in Fortune that describes the popularity of rosé as a “female-driven movement” with “sharp sales increases that far outpace the broader $38 billion wine industry.” That article led me to a research paper by Liz Thach, Professor of Wine Business and Management at Sonoma State University, who interviewed male and female drinkers to identify their differences in wine consumption. Thach’s consensus, that women are motivated to drink during social activities, while men focus on the technical aspects of wine-drinking, results in at least 10 percent more women than men ordering wine when they choose to drink an alcoholic beverage.

Additionally, more wines are specifically targeted toward women drinkers, with the prevalence of brands like Little Black Dress, Cupcake, and Girls Night Out jockeying for space at your neighborhood liquor store. The cutesy naming trend was apparently established over a decade ago, when VinExpo Bordeaux, the world-renowned wine and spirits exhibition, declared, “Women are the future of wine” as their lead theme of their 2006 conference.

The general vibe is this: If it’s fruity and a little bit sweet, women will drink it. Where does that leave all of the female beer and bourbon drinkers? Well, the truth is, there aren’t too many of them. A 2015 analysis of Twitter datasets revealed that between 14 and 40.6 percent of beer-related hashtag users are female, while 35 to 72.4 percent of wine-related hashtag users are female. When it comes to cocktail-related hashtags used by women, Cosmo reigns supreme, with a 73.5 percent usage compared to Scotch, which comes in at just 27.7. Notes Emma Pierson, researcher at the University of Oxford, “Fruit-flavored cocktail hashtags are female-dominated, while malts and ryes skew male.”

First, I thought it was the marketing that was patronizing to female drinkers. Now, I feel a little depressed about the fact that drinking stereotypes are, in fact, steeped in truth. What’s truly disheartening, though, is the revelation that more women are drinking high amounts of alcohol than ever before. According to a 2017 report called the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, high-rise drinking increased at a rate of 4-to-1 for women. What’s contributing to these higher drinking levels? The rising numbers of women in the workforce, cultural norms, stress, and wealth inequality, the survey says.

So let’s drink, but in moderation. And if you’re one of those rare women who enjoy the taste of Scotch, maybe you’ll want to try on Jane Walker for size. With $1 from each bottle produced going to the She Should Run organization and the Monumental Women project, Diageo, the Scotch’s parent company, is doing more than simply patronizing women drinkers.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Jell-O Shots?

CREDIT: Kasia Biel | Dreamstime.com

Last weekend, I watched the Academy Awards with friends who planned a snacks and drinks menu that referenced every Best Picture nominee. There were deviled eggs (The Shape of Water), wafer crackers (Lady Bird), and more. When Jordan Peele won an Oscar for Get Out (Best Original Screenplay), our intrepid hostess brought out a tray of sweet tea Jell-O shots, a nod to a pivotal scene in the movie, when one character uses a cup of tea and a spoon to put another character under involuntary hypnosis.

The shots, a combination of vodka, black tea, sugar, and lemon Jell-O, were sophisticated and delicious. I’ve enjoyed Jell-O shots in Dixie cups and tiny plastic tubs, but these were the first I’ve seen served in hollowed-out lemon wedges. It’s an easy trick: You slice lemons in half, remove the insides, and pour in your shot recipe. Once the Jell-O sets, you cut each lemon half into smaller wedges. It seems that Jell-O shots, once relegated to the fraternity party and spring break circuits, have somehow become more refined in recent years.

Excited, I perused an online article about Jell-O shots by historic gastronomist Sarah Lohman, who pens the fascinating blog Four Pounds Flour. Lohman discovered — and summarily recreated — what is likely the grandfather of the Jell-O shot, a drink called Punch Jelly that she found in the pages of Jerry Thomas’ 1862 book How to Mix Drinks.

Kasia Biel | Dreamstime.com

Of the cocktail, which was made from dark rum, cognac, lemonade, and gelatin (likely calves foot jelly, originally), Thomas wrote, “This preparation is a very agreeable refreshment, but should be used in moderation: The strength of the punch is so artfully concealed by its admixture with the gelatin, that many persons, particularly of the softer sex, have been tempted to partake so plentifully of it as to render them somewhat unfit for waltzing or quadrilling after supper.” Thomas, known as the father of American mixology and a New York saloon owner, was clearly onto something.

On the recipe website Tablespoon.com, I found the elegant Bramble Jell-O Shot, a two-layer drink crafted by renowned bartender and Cosmopolitan creator Toby Cecchini. Its base is a sour layer that consists of gin, lemon juice, sugar, and unflavored gelatin. On top rests a blackberry layer, made from blackberry liqueur and grape Jell-O. The recipe is set in a loaf pan, then cut into squares and topped with a blackberry and candied lemon.

Speaking of Cosmos, I found a recipe for a jiggly variation on Cecchini’s cocktail on another site, the aptly titled Jelly Shot Test Kitchen. Make your own Cosmopolitan Jelly Shots by combining cranberry juice cocktail and Rose’s Lime Juice with plain Knox gelatin, then stir in orange-flavored vodka and some Grand Marnier. Pour into molds, let set, and garnish with lime zest.

Jelly Shot Test Kitchen is a revelation. Recipes are sorted by alcohol and theme. A quick glance at St. Patrick’s Day cocktails led me to Irish Car Bomb Jelly Shots (two layers consisting of Guinness beer and Baileys Irish Cream), Pistachio Pudding Shots (vodka, milk, and instant pistachio pudding) and Lucky-tini o’ the Irish (pear-flavored vodka, Midori, and diet Sprite).

Mojitos, martinis, Arnold Palmers, and French 75s can all be given the Jell-O shot treatment. Search for an already tested recipe, because the proportions of alcohol and water need to be precise to ensure that the Jell-O properly sets.

Next time I host brunch, I’m determined to make Bloody Mary Jell-O Shots. I found directions on the website The Improv Kitchen, but you can use your own Bloody Mary recipe. Mix together the non-alcoholic ingredients in a pot over medium heat, add a packet of unflavored gelatin, and stir until it’s dissolved. Let the mixture cool for one minute, then add vodka. Pour the liquid into celery stalks, let set, and then trim the celery into smaller pieces. To borrow the sage words of Jerry Thomas, it sounds like a “very agreeable refreshment” indeed.